Continental TKC 80 OE on BMW R nineT
Continental has expanded its cooperation with BMW Motorrad to include equipping the BMW R nineT Urban G/S model. All bikes sold with off-road tyres in 2021 will come delivered with Continental TKC 80 tyres.
Hannover-based Continental AG is a leading automotive supplier and – according to the company – is “the choice of leading car manufacturers, offering award-winning tyres that deliver responsive braking in all weather conditions.”
Continental has expanded its cooperation with BMW Motorrad to include equipping the BMW R nineT Urban G/S model. All bikes sold with off-road tyres in 2021 will come delivered with Continental TKC 80 tyres.
Summer tyre tests in 2021 have highlighted the sometimes dazzling qualities of the best performing tyre products. However, the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobilclub’s (ADAC) most recent test appears to have been particularly demanding. No tyre received ADAC’s top “very good” rating, and only five models were rated “good” over the two sizes tested – 205/55 R16 V and 225/50 R17 Y. There were some intriguing results at the top of the table. Falken confirmed its increasingly impressive performance of recent years by winning the 17” tyre test with its Azenis FK510 flagship UHP tyre. The Kumho Ecsta PS71 also achieved a “good” rating in the 17” test, while Continental group brand Semperit’s Speed-Life 3 achieved an overall result matching the Conti PremiumContact 6 in the 16” test. There was worse news for the 17” Firestone Roadhawk, which became the only tyre to receive an “inadequate” report.
Continental Tire the Americas is recalling more than 90,000 Continental, General Tire and Barum tyres in North America that have been over-cured and are thus at risk of developing breakages in the sidewall area. A separate recall of approximately 12,000 Cooper and Mastercraft tyres in North America is taking place due to a possible low tread gauge in the tyres’ shoulder slot area which could cause tread separation and sidewall failure.
Two-wheel vehicles came into their own in a year when travelling on public transport was often discouraged and delivery services boomed. As the Motorcycle Industry Association recently reported, unit sales of scooters shot up 10.6 per cent in 2020 and overall sales of two-wheel vehicles declined just 2.6 per cent year-on-year despite two lockdowns. Demand for aftermarket parts was also healthy within the sector, reflecting both a preference for affordable personal transport as well as the popularity of socially-distanced pastimes such as bike restoration projects. But there’s been a fly in the ointment.
Continental is further expanding its non-tyre activities through the acquisition of a minority stake in German-US start-up Recogni. The investment took place as part of the US$48.9 million Series B financing round announced by Recogni on 17 February. Both companies have agreed not to disclose the amount of the holding.
In little over a month’s time, the new Extreme E race series will commence with the opening round in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, and Continental is ready with its CrossContact Extreme E. The exclusive tyre supplier shares some details of the rubber that will be worn by each of the competing Spark ODYSSEY 21 electric SUVs.
Continental has completed its Scandinavia range of winter truck tyres with the addition of a 22.5-inch tyre line. The Conti Scandinavia HS3 steer axle tyre and Conti Scandinavia HD3 drive axle tyres are now available and will be joined by the Conti Scandinavia HT3 trailer tyre in June.
We associate the slogan ‘every little helps’ with a well-known supermarket, but the idea of small savings adding up to a large one applies to more than just baked beans and washing detergent. From this month, Continental is making do without one of the two stickers it previously affixed to new tyres sold in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region. By doing so, it expects to avoid around 110 tonnes of plastic waste per year from the stickers themselves as well as waste from the backing foil.
Musical chairs within the Continental Specialty Tires business unit, but nobody was left standing when the music stopped: Wolfgang Thomale, who heads up the entire business unit, has taken on responsibility for the associated Two-Wheel Tires segment. He picked up this additional remit on 1 January, taking over from Thomas Falke. Falke is now in charge of the Commercial Specialty Tires segment, which Thomale had led since last summer.
Despite the pandemic-led pressures of 2020, Continental AG will outperform the consensus of analyst estimates of its fourth-quarter 2020 financial performance, according to Jefferies Equity Research. Specifically regarding Continental AG’s fourth quarter 2020 results, Jefferies estimate group adjusted EBIT of 3.3 billion euros compared to a consensus of 2.7 billion, implying their calculations are 21 per cent above consensus:
Its market launch was actually planned for last autumn, but Continental postponed the introduction of its new WinterContact TS 870 until 2021 for corona-related reasons. The wait is now almost over, as a company representative has confirmed that “preparations to bring the WinterContact TS 870 to market are on schedule” with a launch range that consists of almost 20 SKUs in 14- to 17- rim diameter sizes. And this winter tyre isn’t the only new product that Continental is bringing out – a number of online retailers have already made space for a successor to the SportContact 6.
Mike Leedham has been appointed as the new off-the-road (OTR) Sales Manager for Continental Tyre Group. Leedham will be responsible for developing Continental’s OTR business in the UK and Ireland, as the company continues the development of its earthmover tyres, launched to the market in 2016.
Large, powerful cars and SUVs with electric or hybrid drives are substantially heavier than conventional ICE-powered vehicles and thus need tyres that can handle greater loads. The solution is to fit tyres with a higher load index. The gold standard here is HL, and Continental has announced the arrival of the first passenger tyres with the new HL load index code.
Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM and Continental Motorcycle Tires have announced a new cooperation for the new year: Upon its launch in 2021, the KTM 890 Duke will come equipped with ContiRoad tyres as standard equipment.
Continental has expanded ContiOnlineContact digital online dealer portal to include OTR and agricultural tyres. Continental reports that the portal now lists the entire Off-The-Road (OTR) and agricultural tyre portfolio.
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